Immoral X-Men #1 features a lot to be excited about, from Emma Frost starring to the mastermind behind Sins of Sinister, Kieron Gillen, writing. After you read this issue, you might find it even more exciting to learn this is more of a direct continuation of where Sins of Sinister left off instead of the other colorful explorations of this alternate reality.
Immoral X-Men opens with humans – or “flatscans”, as mutants call them – preparing to fight back and take out their mutant overlords. They take the window and fall to their death, which is revealed to be a result Xavier mentally controlling them and forcing them to do so. Nick Fury is no more, and soon we see Xavier regrets the move even though his inner Sinister knows it was right. This scene helps convey the mutant domination over the world while establishing there is still a little of each mutant alive, even if they are tainted by Sinister.
That’s never more obvious than with Emma Frost, who scoffs at Xavier’s tears. Gillen shows that Emma is as bad as they come. We see that in this opening scene and how she handles Mr. Sinister later. The characterization is compelling, partly because she’s been mostly a good guy in recent years, and there seems to be a commentary about who she is with a Sinister taint, but also who she really is deep down. In any case, whether she’s good or evil, it’s made clear she’s the boss, and I don’t think anyone can argue with that.
Poor Xavier.
Credit: Marvel
After two other tie-in issues, seeing the main story carry forward here is nice. Mr. Sinister is in a pickle as his lab was stolen, and he’s losing control as supreme leader. Instead, he has to answer to the Quiet Council, and it seems his manipulations weren’t enough. A key scene with Sinister talking things through with his clone helps convey his predicament (and also reveal his disdain for ducks) while setting up a satisfying third act in the issue.
The art by Paco Medina is well done, especially with the character acting. There’s a laugh or two built into how characters react to things, and Emma fans will dig how she looks in Diamond form. Hope and Exodus steal the show in their moments. Visual gags like the Sinister clone noshing on things are also a nice touch.
The only downside to this issue might be that it makes the ultimate enemy of the narrative confusing. Mr. Sinister is fully dressed down, right down to a data page detailing all his secret hideouts. He was already weakened by losing his lab, but this issue makes him a dog on a chain, more or less. Going forward, how we proceed and who the enemy is in all this isn’t clear.
Immoral X-Men is great reading as it continues the story of the main event book while shining a light on key mutant players. Even in the greatest realities for Mr. Sinister, he seems to lose and be the sore loser he was born to be. A great exploration of X-Men characters in your new favorite alternate reality event.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
You must be logged in to post a comment.